For the week of Thursday, November 15th, 2012 • Volume 46, Issue 11
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November 15, 2012 • 02
News Campus Beat Features Entertainment Top Story Procrastination Opinion Sports Lifestyle TLFs Students’ Union Classifieds The Meliorist: Mel-io-rism (meel’e riz’m) the doctrine that the world tends to become better or may be made better by human effort
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The Meliorist is the student newspaper of the University of Lethbridge, published most Thursdays throughout the academic year by The Meliorist Publishing Society, an autonomous incorporated body. Please address all correspondence to The Meliorist, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge Alberta, T1K 3M4, or drop it off at room SU-166. Deadline for submissions is Friday at 4 p.m. The Meliorist appreciates and encourages the writing of thoughtful, concise, timely letters. However, the Meliorist will only consider for publication those letters that are signed by the author. Special arrangements may be made for those wishing anonymity, but absolutely no pseudonyms. Letters should contain the author’s legible name, address, telephone number, and student identification number. The address, ID and phone number will not be published. The Meliorist reserves the right to edit submissions and will not print libelous material. Letters may be edited for brevity, clarity, and legality.
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Billy Davey
Features Editor f.editor@themeliorist.ca
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Brandon Wallis
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November 15, 2012 • 03
Marc Emery
a look at Canada’s currently jailed Prince of Pot Leyland Bradley News Editor
Marc Emery is a Canadian citizen serving a five-year sentence in mediumsecurity federal prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi after Canadian police arrested him in 2005, supposedly acting on a request from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Emery is famous for selling drug paraphernalia and cannabis seeds from his Vancouver-based shop, Marc Emery’s Cannabis Culture Headquarters, and garnering international attention for his support of the worldwide marijuana movement. He was sentenced Sept. 10, 2010 by the U.S. legal system for reasons pertaining to “distribution of marijuana” seeds. The DEA later released a document suggesting their intentions for sentencing Emery were tied to his political activism and financial support of the marijuana movement, and not for the distribution of seeds as formally stated. His wife Jodie Emery and other supporters started the website freemarc.ca to help raise awareness about Marc Emery’s situation, as well as the changing political landscape of marijuana legality. With Colorado and Washington’s recent legalization of marijuana for recreational use, some Canadians are wondering when they too will be legally allowed to use the drug. Pressure from marijuana supporters, for reasons either medical or recreational, could get some Canadian provincial governments talking about the legality of the drug once more. Past events like Marc Emery’s arrest are not forgotten, and stand as a reality for Canadians who wish to see marijuana legalized or decriminalized. Some information on freemarc.ca makes attempts to clear some of the miscon-
ceptions about Emery. According to the website, it was Canadian police that pressured the DEA to help arrest Emery in which case Emery would be charged with heavier penalties for selling seeds than he would in Canada. Emery has a record of arrests and fines due to his long battle with provincial and federal governments over marijuana use, distribution, and trafficking. In 2000, Emery became a founding member of the Marijuana Party of Canada. One year later he co-founded the British Columbia Marijuana Party – a political party of which he is still the leader. Criticism still exists surrounding the Canadian federal government’s handling of Emery and his imprisonment in the United States. The federal justice minister Robert Nicholson approved an extradition order for Emery, meaning the Canadian government surrendered Emery to the United States. Upon the extradition announcement, two Vancouver MPs voiced their concerns over Emery’s extradition order. NDP MP Libby Davies and Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh tabled a 12,000-signature petition at the House of Commons in opposition to Emery’s extradition. Davies was quoted saying, “Why would we cart off a Canadian to serve time in America for something he wouldn’t have been charged with in Canada? Now what we’re left with is trying to press that he at least be allowed to serve his time in Canada.” Emery is eligible for early release in less than two years. For more information about Marc Emery, check out freemarc.ca.
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November 15, 2012 • 04
Leyland Bradley News Editor
Geoffrey Hale is professor of political science at the University of Lethbridge, where he has taught since 1999. He is the author of So Near and Yet So Far: The Public and Hidden Worlds of Canada-U.S. Relations (UBC Press, 2012), Uneasy Partnership: The Politics of Business and Government in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2006), and The Politics of Taxation in Canada (Broadview Press, 2001), and co-editor (with Monica Gattinger) of Borders and Bridges: Canada’s Policy Relations in North America (Oxford University Press, 2010).
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November 15, 2012 • 05
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November 15, 2012 • 06
Billy Davey
Features Editor Statistically, one in seven Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. On average, 73 are diagnosed and 11 die daily. Prostate cancer is thought to be caused by dietary, environmental and heredity factors, and it is considered a potentially preventable type of cancer; however, more research is needed to find causes and effectively prevent the disease. In the face of all this, only one type of hair arrangement has risen to the challenge — the moustache. Movember has grown to a global fundraiser after its inception in Melbourne, Australia in 2004. If you have not noticed this particular trend on campus, you really need to work on your upper lip awareness. It is just courteous to acknowledge a good moustache, but if you still don’t know how to approach this “Movember” thing, feel free to use this model conversation between two participating growers (in British accents, of course — and for no reason): “I say! You do have a fine moustache!” “Oh belt up! Yours is quite superior. How do you grow it so?” “Got a pen and paper? Here’s how you do it: shave everything except your upper lip, and Bob’s your uncle — a moustache.” “Astounding…” But, there is more than just growing to Movember; the participants must also raise money for prostate cancer research through pledges and donations. Some people have banded together in teams for this. Dr. Vishaal Baulkaran has started a University of Lethbridge team on the Movember and Sons website, where you can also view other members’/teams’ progress and give donations. You can join or donate to Baulkaran’s team at the following address: http://ca.movember.com/team/787737.
Information current as of Nov. 13 | http://ca.movember.com/leaderboards/
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EDGE Club
November 15, 2012 • 07
Julie Anderson Club President
EDGE is a non-profit humanitarian club with local and global initiatives. We are a chapter of EDGE, which is a young adult sector of A Better World Canada. We believe that engaging young people in compassionate actions will equip them to be responsible global citizens. We believe that the future of this global community will be shaped by the next generation. We provide service-learning opportunities through training, mentorship, and travel. EDGE started last year and we were really successful! We participated in the SU Feed or Famine, collected winter warmth items for a local charity, raised over $8,000 for schools in Afghanistan, and more! This year our big international project is to raise money for a school in Kenya called Segera Mission Orphanage with A Better World Canada. Our first event will be a “Jail and Bail” type event held at the university at the end of November! We will also be holding local warmth and food collection initiatives this year. If there is enough interest, there will be a humanitarian travel opportunity to Kenya in May! If you are interested in humanitarianism and travel, contact us at lethbridgeedge@gmail.com!
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November 15, 2012 • 08
Billy Davey
Features Editor
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November 15, 2012 • 09
2012 Leyland Bradley Features Writer
The Amazing Facts organization came to town once again to warn Lethbians about the inevitable end – the apocalypse is upon us, and if we pay attention to the signs of natural disasters, and study Bible verses, we can be safe from a catastrophic end. You may have seen the advertisement for the four-day seminar in your mailbox. The two-page pamphlet promises to deliver the truth behind the popular Maya calendar situation. For those who don’t know, Dec. 21, 2012 is regarded as the cataclysmic end-date due to affiliation with the Mayan calendar. A Google search for themes surrounding “apocalypse 2012” or “Maya calendar December 21” will bring up support or criticism about the supposed end-times that are upon us. Academic research exists on the topic, ranging from astronomers to Mayan culture anthropologists. Dec. 21 (or “doomsday”) has no doubt been a topic of conversation on Twitter and Facebook for some time too, and depending on one’s social network, conversation could spout off claims of real concern or real phony business. For those curious about the truth that have just been too darn busy with homework and exams to attend one of the Amazing Facts seminars, this editor took one for the team and decided to attend one seminar in exchange for enlightenment. A play-by-play: Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, evening seminar entitled, “Prophecy’s Final Countdown: How Close Are We?” My accomplice and I were anxious when approaching the Holiday Inn where the seminars were to be held. We entered the building, and were confronted with the table in which attendees were to sign in before stepping into the room; our names, addresses, and phone numbers were requested as part of the sign-up. When asked what the information was for, the programmers said we would obtain a DVD of the information we were to hear tonight. We declined our information, although sad we couldn’t acquire a DVD, and provided false names. On paper, we were Peter Smith and Sarah Jensen. The room had a handful of people in attendance. All were over the age of 30, and few had their jackets off. The room was cold. We shuffled to the back of the room and sat in an empty row, keeping our eyes down and minds open. The presenter for the evening shut off the Christian video music compilation. It was to begin. And it did, unceremoniously. Right off the bat we were told that this would not be an evening about the end of the world, Dec. 21, 2012. Nothing about this seminar would have anything to do with ancient prophecies except those expressed in the Bible. So, for anyone curious about the Mayan link with the apocalypse – there are no answers at the first evening’s seminar from the Amazing Facts group.
Disappointed, but realizing my own fault at the assumption, I decided to sit through the remaining two-hour presentation. One look at the pamphlet and the byline clearly states: EXPOSING THE MYTH. The entire front page depicts a portion of the Mayan calendar. As I now understand, the “myth” is the Mayan calendar. However, my accomplice and I didn’t even get much information about the myth-exposing at all. The seminar wasn’t about Mayan prophecies so much as it was about reading the Bible carefully. In a nutshell, the end times are upon us – “us” being civilization as a whole. The Bible, we were told, lays out clues about the end times with symbolism and imagery. Natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy are direct messages from the earth and supernatural beings as warning signs of our inevitable end. As the population goes up, the amount of farmland to feed everyone goes down. Disease is rampant and is killing hordes of people every year.
There were bummers throughout the evening. However, if you study scripture, and let the scripture interpret itself, the answers should become clear, we were told. The comforting message being that preparation will ensure everything will be okay. And so! The two hours had passed quickly. Without a question period, everyone was invited to come back again tomorrow and bring a friend. An elderly woman wished good luck on the drive home to my accomplice and I. “Don’t hit any reindeer!” she said. Dodgy advertising aside, the information presented was pretty interesting but not necessarily new. For anyone interested in attending these seminars, go for it, keep an open mind, and gather what you can from the information presented, because, for example, most people will agree that natural disasters are a problem. Natural disasters are either a global warming issue, or natural disasters are warning signs to prepare for life beyond Earth. Check Google for Mayan calendar updates instead.
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November 15, 2012 • 10
Greg Patenaude Features Writer
If you’ve read any of my earlier articles you know that I’m a big proponent of paying attention to the “details.” I believe that it’s the details that can turn a good cocktail into a great cocktail. So what exactly am I talking about when I say “details?” Well, I’m talking about every aspect of the cocktail. The problem is, usually only a few details are ever considered. Think about the gin & tonic I always refer to. Using a good gin and tonic is definitely a good start, but that’s just it, it’s only the start. If you want this drink to go to 11 then you need to pay attention to all the details. Well, what exactly is there left to think about? How about the glass? The garnish? Ice? Lunar phase? Okay, one of those is BS, but you get the idea. Even within the above listed details there are more sub-details to consider. For example, consider the different type of glasses. What kind of glass will you use to serve your cocktail? Admittedly, this is an aesthetic choice but an important one (do you want your martini served in a cocktail glass or a juice glass? Exactly). A more subtle detail and one that seems to be considered less these days is the size of the glass. As we will see later, using the proper size of glass will not only make your drink look better, but it can also help you make the drink properly. Although sometimes just for show, the garnish is usually functional. The type
of garnish usually depends on the main spirit you used as some garnishes pair up really well with certain spirits. For example, many gins are flavoured with citrus peels and thus many gin cocktails are garnished with a lemon twist. Or consider Hendrick’s gin, whose predominant flavours are rose petals and cucumber (no, really!). For this gin, a cucumber wheel makes a great garnish. Properly used, a garnish’s predominant role is aroma. As you bring the drink to your lips, the smell of the garnish should get your mouth watering. Often overlooked, ice is one of the most important ingredients. In fact, I would argue that it is the most important ingredient. What you want is large, dry, hard, dense ice. And when I say dry ice, I don’t mean solid carbon dioxide; I mean ice that isn’t wet. The main role of ice is to chill the drink and to provide dilution. If your ice is wet (say it’s been left out too long), or small, or hollow (like that crappy stuff you can buy from the 7/11), it won’t chill your drink properly and will most likely over-dilute it. And no one wants a warm, watereddown cocktail. Well, at least I don’t. So you see, beside the base spirits, the glasses, garnishes, and even the ice are important details to consider. But it doesn’t end there (of course not!). If you are making a cold cocktail, was the glass chilled prior to serving the drink? Did
you provide a napkin? Did you smile while serving the cocktail? I know, this is flirting close to professional service industry territory, but all these details add up – they add up to a pretty fine cocktail. Winter is coming, so I thought we could make an Irish coffee. The key to making a great Irish coffee is using the right size of glass. Ideally it should be 7-8 oz. Actually, it’s not that hard to find an actual Irish coffee glass. Use a glass that’s too big and the drink will inevitably be drowned in coffee. An Irish coffee is a great cold-weather cocktail but one that requires attention to the details to be made properly.
Irish coffee 1½ oz Irish whisky 1 oz brown simple syrup 4 oz fresh coffee Unsweetened whipped cream
Preheat your glass with hot water. Discard the water and add the Irish whisky, simple syrup, and coffee. Top the drink with a half-inch layer of unsweetened whipped cream. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. A note on the ingredients: Brown simple syrup is nothing more than simple syrup (1:1 water and sugar) made with brown sugar. I like to use Demerara sugar. Since this article is all about details, it would be prudent to pay attention to them while making this cocktail. Thus, make your coffee using freshly ground whole beans and use only hand-whipped unsweetened cream. The cream shouldn’t be too stiff but thick enough to sit on top of the cocktail. An Irish coffee should have a perfect demarcation line between the cream and coffee – a final detail for a perfect cocktail.
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November 15, 2012 • 11
Hydrology and environmental change in Alberta An interview with Dr. Stefan Kienzle Billy Davey
Features Editor
What is your academic history?
Born and bred in Germany and did my master’s in Germany. Right after my master’s, I moved to South Africa to work for a government-funded hydrological research institute. I worked there for three and a half years, and then I joined a university in South Africa, where I then did my PhD... But it was a sort of distance learning — I did my PhD in Germany but worked in South Africa. I got government research experience, and I also did some consulting on the side. Then after that, I actually started my own consulting firm in Germany and went back to Germany for two years… [I] then went to Canada and worked with a large consulting firm in Calgary for two and a half years. I did hydrology and GIS [Geographic Information System] work for them, and in 2000 I joined the U of L.
What do you teach at the U of L?
I teach GIS at all levels, hydrology, and physical geography.
What are you currently researching?
I research, as we are all water users, where our water comes from, especially focusing on Alberta. So, my research questions are, for the various watersheds, where is the water coming from, so that we understand impacts of environmental change — such as land cover change, afforestation, deforestation, clear cutting, oil and gas industry, pine beetle infestations, and, of course, climate change. So, my question is, how do any of those environmental changes change the runoff regime of our rivers… Phase two now, I’m moving
further to ask, for instance, how much does the soil moisture change — I especially find this in the prairies — and how much does climate change impact crop yields; simply on a water availability point of view, not from a nutrient point of view.
What are the areas you focus on in Alberta? At the moment, I have research projects that focus on the Oldman River basin, particularly the west Castle River basin. I also have plans to focus on the entire eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains because that is the main source area of our watersheds — any changes there, especially climate change, will have an impact on downstream users. So that’s my focus, but eventually I’m actually working to gather data for the entire province of Alberta. At the same time, simply as a data-gathering exercise, because I need a lot of data for my hydrological analysis — I need climate data, land cover data, soils data, and I basically need to know where is the water demand and where are the water users. But especially when it comes to climate data — it’s a big exercise to find climate data — so I’m working basically to provide a hydro-climatological atlas of Alberta.
What is the process of gathering information and then using it? It’s basically a three phase project. Phase one is data gathering, so we are gathering as much data as we can get. We don’t measure our own; we don’t do our own field work — we just use other
people’s data. It’s actually surprising how much data the government has collected that has actually never been really analysed and used. Phase two is then we plug that data into a very complex hydrological model. The result of this model is basically a stream flow hydrograph, so a time series of river flow for lots of locations within the watershed, and we compare those against observed data. We also compare, for instance, simple things like temperature because temperature is not modeled everywhere throughout the Rocky Mountains; it’s not measured on top of a mountain, it’s only measured down in the valley… that means I have to make sure that the temperatures that I model on top of the mountain are actually realistic. We use any data available – for example, data from ski hills, fire observation towers, and so on. We also compare our snow coverage… so we are doing temperature, snow, and observed stream flow — we are comparing all of those, very rigorous statistical analysis. Only after we are satisfied that we can do all these reasonably well, then we would plug in and do our climate change and environmental change scenarios. Then we plug in new data sets for the future; we would replace on land cover with an anticipated future land cover. We would find out what is the anticipated impact of this mountain pine beetle infestation — how much forest will be destroyed? We can simply plug that into our model and then we can simulate the results. That would be phase three.
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November 15, 2012 • 12
Maggie Kogut
Entertainment Editor
Anyone who’s listened to Coheed and Cambria with even an ounce of attention knows something of the extensive story that the band weaves through their albums. Regardless of the massive artistic undertaking of blending coherent storyline with prog-rock, previous albums have been said to have too much emphasis on the overarching story and thus less quality in individual songs, or focus so much on individual songs that the album doesn’t flow as well as it could. However, when it comes to The Afterman: Ascension, I think that the band executed the fine line between storyline, album flow, and song individuality. As a whole, the album focuses on Sirius Amory. In Coheed and Cambria’s alternate universe, “Heaven’s Fence,” Sirius leaves behind his wife to travel into the Keywork – the energy stream between planets – in order to investigate its malfunctions. The album begins with a sadly beautiful and daunting prologue of Sirius speaking with the All Mother, seeking reassurance of the All Mother’s constant presence. The next song, the first of the “Key Entity Extraction” songs tells the story of an ex-boxer, “Domino the Destitute.” Sirius
discovers that the Keywork’s energy source is human souls, and that the “Key Entity Extractions” are restless souls who refuse to join the Keywork. Sirius must live through the lives of the “Key Entities” (there are four in total) to put their souls to rest so that they can join the flow of the Keywork. The album goes through the back stories of these restless souls in a theme that ties the album together. Another example of a restless soul is “Key Extraction III: Vic the Butcher,” an emblem of the attention that Coheed and Cambria pays to detail. At certain parts in the song you can hear the scraping of knives against each other, eerie, and the song ends with a medical description from the All Mother of Sirius’s swiftly diminishing health, daunting. Even with this overarching album flow, there are specific songs that stand out, my favourite being “Subtraction,” a slower, sad, beautiful song that contrasts the immense energy, anger, and power of some of the other tracks. Overall, this album is great. I haven’t listened to the entire Coheed and Cambria grand musical narrative, but after this album, I certainly want to.
Adventures in Your Own Backyard is Patrick Wilson’s fifth album, fourth done with a group in full named Patrick Watson and the Wooden Arms. There are three things I’d like to say about this album. The first is that the use of piano in the album is incredibly intricate and beautiful. In the tracks that use piano, particularly the first track “Lighthouse,” the piano flows in and out of the surrounding music with ease. Sometimes all you hear is the elaborate piano above everything else and then it dives back down into the accompanying melodies only to rise back up seconds later – really beautiful stuff. Now on to the second, less fortunate, comment: I’ve listened to this album more than once, yet I can’t discern any of the lyrics. Not only that, I generally fail to even discern separate words.
Wilson has a unique voice that reminds me of David Usher’s breathiness and lightness of voice, but Wilson sings in one long breath of varying vowels with an occasional consonant thrown in at sporadic points. His voice almost sounds whiny, but without the annoying show of emotions that usually accompanies whininess. And finally, each track on the album is so drawn out that they all blend into one big mass of endless voice and music. After a while, it all sounds the same to me, and I can’t discern one song from the other. All in all, I think that this album is beautiful instrumentally, but that otherwise it feels like one long drawn out song accompanied by a seemingly wordless stretch of human voice.
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November 15, 2012 • 13
Donald Glover, mostly known for playing the lovable and silly Troy Barnes on the NBC show Community (I can’t wait for Oct. 19), also wrote for 30 Rock and is presently nurturing a quickly rising career in stand-up comedy and rap. If I ever have the opportunity to meet Donald Glover, after a series of internal freak-outs, I’d like to ask him, “Is there anything you’re planning on not accomplishing in your lifetime?” As a rapper, Donald Glover goes by the name of Childish Gambino. He’s released three independent albums and two studio albums better known as “mixtapes.” Gambino released his latest mixtape, Royalty, this past July. Royalty is available as a free download off of Gambino’s website. Three reasons to check out Royalty: as I’ve already highlighted, it’s free; you’d be supporting a great artist; and a final reason for checking out Royalty is if you’ve always wondered what Tina Fey would sound like as a
rapper. If so, have a listen to “Real Estate,” the last track on Royalty, where Fey joins Gambino in a musical cameo. My first experience of Donald Glover as Childish Gambino was through his music video “Freaks and Geeks.” I sat staring at my computer screen for a while after the video had finished playing. I had never imagined that the same actor who plays arguably the silliest character in Community could also be the rapper behind this music that’s so full of intensity, raw emotion, and intricate lyrics. It’s vulgar, but my favourite Gambino lyric is a pun on E.E. Cummings: “E.E. Cumming on her face, now that’s poetry in motion.” Along with girls, Gambino also raps about his own life, his struggles, racism issues and stigma against rappers. With extremely personal, revealing, and clever lyrics matched with interesting new beats, Childish Gambino is definitely an artist worth checking out.
A great Canadian indie-rock band from Vancouver, The New Pornographers were formed in 1997 and have since released five great albums, the first being Mass Romantic from 2000, and the latest being Together from 2010. The New Pornographers have grown musically in each album, but still retain their original electrifying sound graced with unique vocal harmonies and coherence. A few of my favourite songs include “Adventures in Solitude,” “Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk,” and “Myriad Harbour.” “Adventures in Solitude” off of the album Challengers has a unique acoustic sound from a melody of instruments including piano, guitar and tambourine. What I really like about this song is the use of male and female voices, as well as a single voice and multiple voices in juxtaposition and harmony. A group of voices will sing one lyric and a single voice will sing the next lyric. This sets up an interesting almost conversation-like quality in the song that highlights the notions of community and solitude.
“Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk,” from The New Pornographers’ latest album, has a very catchy, simple, and easy-to-follow beat. As well, the band uses and rhymes the word “byzantine” in the song. That’s an interesting feat all on its own. Finally, probably my most favourite song by The New Pornographers is “Myriad Harbour,” off of Challengers. I love the guitar melody in this song and the use of sticks to create an offbeat. Also, this is another song that contrasts a single voice against multiple voices, but only in the verses. This setup forms a conversation style in the song that then melds together in the chorus as all the voices come together. It sounds fantastic and gives a neat dynamic and varying levels to the song. Overall, I focus on individual songs because The New Pornographers are so great at crafting unique songs; their songs build in energy as they progress and seamlessly execute the intricacies of multiple voices, instruments, and melodies. The songs flow, but refuse to blend into the background noise.
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November 15, 2012 • 14
Maggie Kogut
Entertainment Editor This month, the U of L’s fine arts department will be presenting James Goldman’s The Lion in Winter. A Broadway success, the play takes place in England 1183 in the court of King Henry II at Christmas, and presents the inner workings of a rather interesting family. “The family unit is completely dysfunctional” says Philip Adams, director of the U of L’s production of The Lion in Winter. The family, King Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their three sons, as well as guest Philip II King of France and his half-sister Alais Capet, are always arguing and fighting. Everyone wants land, everyone wants brides, and everyone wants power. However, through the court of King Henry II in 1183, James Goldman presents societal dynamics not only of 1183, but of the 1960s. “I think what he [James Goldman] was onto was, during that era in the United States, the family unit was breaking down. This was the Vietnam War, the Korean War, protests, and all the rest of that. The state was crumbling, as was the family,” says Adams. “The leaders started to not be able to keep the family together,” continues Adams, and “that is what I think prompted him [Goldman] to write this very very clever play.” Although the play is very modern in its discussion of the family, the presentation of the play stays true to 1183 with a traditional atmosphere, costumes, etc. Expect to see fur and
broadswords, but thankfully no Chaucerian language, as the play is written in modern English. Sometimes known as a comedy in two acts, Adams affirms that this play is not. The Lion in Winter is not a classic comedy, nor is it a classic tragedy. “They [the characters] all live, so it can’t be tragedy, but it isn’t slapstick, it isn’t funny; it’s more like Chekov. It’s a Chekhovian comedy. It has its dark moments.” Overall, the play is, as Adams says, “a really compelling mixture” of comedic and tragic elements. “Life isn’t all death” and the play recognizes that through its comedic aspects. It’s like real life: crazy, quirky, and unexpected. The action of The Lion in Winter revolves around the kitchen table. It’s where “big decisions get made.” Adams says that the play is a “big dysfunctional fucked up family, it’s just that, but it just happens to be the King of England.” The timeline of the play spans over 12-14 hours, and in that time, the family struggles with elements that many families struggle with, like rebellious teenagers – and other elements that only the more unique families struggle with, like a wife who’s finally released after being imprisoned by her husband for 10 years. Over the course of rehearsals for the play, Adams says that “the more we’re into it, the more I’m just smitten by it. It’s well written. It satisfies all of those
classic things that we look for in theatre.” The U of L production of The Lion in Winter is shaping up to be a great production. The actors even made Adams cry last week, and not out of frustration. “The actors who have committed to this project continue to astonish me,” says Adams. He says that they work extremely hard at the play’s complex characters. As a director, Adams believes it’s his job to function as a type of lie detector: “when an actor is standing up there saying things they don’t believe in, they’re telling me a lie and my job is to call them out on that.” Adams realizes that this is hard on the actors, but he says that “the actors’ willingness to dig in and go deeper and deeper and deeper” is very impressive. Over all, The Lion in Winter is all about power that shifts between the five major family characters. Adams says that “the twists and turns in this play are very delicate” and that “it’s a massive chess game” – one that is not only interesting to watch, but one that is also relevant to this day and age. “It’s very current,” says Adams, “the money, the capital, is all-driving so that’s a big part of this play as well.” Although written in the 1960s and set in 1183, The Lion in Winter still resonates even in 2012. The Lion in Winter will run from Nov. 20 until Nov. 24 with 8 p.m. evening shows. Tickets are available at the U of L box office.
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November 15, 2012 • 15
Maggie Kogut
Entertainment Editor
The fifth of November, last Monday, was Guy Fawkes Day, or as I like to think of it, V for Vendetta day. As everyone should know, V for Vendetta is both a graphic novel and a fantastic movie starring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. Both Portman and Weaving give astounding and dedicated performances in this film. Portman notably shaved her head for the film, while Weaving, without the benefit of facial expressions to work with, portrayed amazing emotion and eloquence through his voice. Even though the V for Vendetta film is based on Alan Moore's graphic novel, he does not wish to be associated with the movie; but it cannot be denied that the film is a great adaptation of the original graphic novel. Dark and alarming, the story depicts a totalitarian England where a sole figure, V, has a plan to demolish the totalitarian control over the people: “A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone, a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people, blowing up a building can change the world.” V famously dons a Guy Fawkes mask in stark symbolism of the famous “Gun Powder Plot” to kill King James I in the 17th century. Transcending the genre of entertainment, both V and his Guy Fawkes mask have become rallying symbols for protests all over the world including last year’s Occupy protests as well as the beginning of the Egyptian revolution. Along with V for Vendetta, proclaimed anarchist Alan Moore has also created other incredible graphic novel and comic works including Watchmen (sadly butchered by the movie adaptation, I don’t blame Moore in the least for not wanting to be associated with it) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Although I adore both Watchmen and V for
Vendetta – I love their gritty, dark, and raw atmospheres – The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen takes the cake for me. Very different from the 2003 movie, and originally meant to be a “justice league of Victorian Britain,” the comic of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen quickly expanded in breadth to become a work that incorporates massive amounts of inter-textual characters, plot points, and settings from classic fictional works. Mina Murray (dealing with the aftermath of Dracula) is recruited by the British intelligence and proceeds to form a league dedicated, in theory, to serving the interests of the empire. The league quickly grew to include Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, Dr. Jekyll, and the Invisible Man. In the first volume of the series, the league is faced with Fu Manchu and Professor Moriarty. Incorporating an immaculate Victorian style with an added steam punk flair, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a story full of awesome cameos, great art, and interesting albeit sometimes odd stories. Beyond the main story spanning over two volumes, the series transcends time to include a Black Dossier that focuses on Mina and Allan in the aftermath of the “Big Brother” government fall from Nineteen Eighty Four… but in 1958, and a third volume of three parts, set in 1910, then 1969, and finally 2009. Not only are these works, V for Vendetta, The Watchmen, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, great to read and enjoy for their intriguing stories and artwork, they are also extremely thought-provoking and raise many issues including but not limited to government roles, apathy, treatment of those “inferior” or “strange” in a society, and the omnipresent question of human purpose and value.
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 18
Crossword
ACROSS 1. Central courts of ancient Roman houses 6. Indian prince 10. Exchange for money 14. Middays 15. Double sulfate of aluminum 16. Stepped 17. Initial wagers 18. Traditional form of Hindu music 19. Member of the lily family 20. Cloisters (oneself) 22. Glossy cotton fabric 24. Chieftain 25. Climbs 26. Erased 29. Place 30. "____ Blanc" = tallest peak in Europe 31. Exaggerated 37. Artistic
Sudoku
Reeferendum
theme 39. A long time 40. French for "School" 41. Devotee of a sport or pastime 44. Burial vault 45. Experience 46. While 48. Person who tends cattle 52. Eastern European people 53. From one side to the other 54. Barely adequate 58. Hack 59. Hindmost part of an animal 61. Slight furrows 62. French for "Head" 63. Sea eagle 64. Fewest 65. Angers 66. Consider 67. S S S
DOWN 1. Literary collections 2. Musical note 3. Officer training classes 4. Inflexible 5. Take to be true 6. More scarce 7. "Oh my!" 8. Pitcher 9. Gathers 10. Express in speech 11. "Stormy Weather" composer Harold _____ 12. Won every trick in the card game "Lanterloo" 13. Paradises 21. A queen of Carthage (from Virgil's "Aeneid") 23. Severe 25. Broadcasted 26. Actress ____ Thompson 27. House "covering" 28. Against 29. Acceptable under the law
32. Bladed 33. Turns on 34. Implement 35. Trees with rough serrated leaves 36. Amount owed 38. Small shrill flutes 42. Unit of magnetic field strength 43. "Wise" birds 47. Bother or harangue 48. Desert "trees" 49. Brownishyellow color 50. Composed reading material 51. Expectations or desires 52. Center of the witchcraft trials 54. Evergreen tree 55. Support undergarments 56. A short form of the name "Elizabeth" 57. Consumes 60. Metric uni
Easy Hard
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 19
Our truth and effort
This kind of gain smacks of greed, not good Kelti Boissonneault Editor-in-Chief Recently, the city council of Lethbridge voted for a raise in their salaries to take effect January 2013. The MLAs of Alberta are set to do the same, taking effect soon as well. It is a trend we see rather often in Canada — politicians at all levels of government deciding their remuneration simply isn’t enough, or not in conjunction with other similarlysized cities, so they give themselves a financial lift. What becomes particularly bothersome is the trend that councils, like that of Lethbridge, tend to announce the possibility of a raise, offer some justification for it, and then suddenly it’s happened. As a citizen of Lethbridge, I support our governing officials being paid for their efforts on council, but it seems a bit dodgy that I was never asked, as a citizen of Lethbridge and therefore an employer of the council, if I thought they deserved one. Even a simple online survey would suffice. Do they deserve one? The positions might. Specifically, do these people? Maybe. I like to think I’ve been paying fairly close attention to the city politics, but it doesn’t appear to me that they’ve done anything particularly noteworthy to need the raise. And considering that on the city’s website it states that councillors spend an average 30 hours a week on council business (excluding holidays, time off, non-session weeks, etc.), I was thinking their remuneration of $32,167 was adequate for what amounts to a part-time job. Council also voted to approve a raise to Mayor
City Council average salaries (2011) St. Albert – $32,388.50 Red Deer – $51,875.00 Medicine Hat – $21,000 Strathcona County – Unknown Lethbridge – $23,000 Mayoral average salaries (2011) St. Albert – $96,293 Red Deer – $84,000 Medicine Hat – $56,000 Strathcona County – Unknown Lethbridge – $68,000 *As reported in the 2011 financial reports of each city/town/county accessible online.
Dodic’s salary, which will now (with the raise) total $103,309 annually. The raise of over $6,000 for councillors, and $5,000 for the mayor, was deemed necessary by council in order to bring Lethbridge into the average for other towns approximately Lethbridge’s size. In order to determine the numbers, Lethbridge compared their salaries to Airdrie, St. Albert, Red Deer, Grand Prairie, Strathcona County, Medicine Hat, Calgary, Edmonton, and the Municipal District of Wood Buffalo. They then discounted Calgary and Edmonton and the highest and lowest comparisons (Wood Buffalo and Airdrie, respectively). Concluding my own research on base salaries for the aforementioned communities, I understand the number put forward for the raise to Lethbridge councillor salaries. I did become confused when reading the 2011 financial report, as it stated that the average salary for a Lethbridge city councillor was $23,000 instead of the cited $32,000 (approx.). Further, the Candidate’s handbook from 2011 for council nominees stated the remuneration to be $30,711 base salary. I also noted in my research into this story, because one really shouldn’t form an opinion without gathering facts, that the reported base salary for Mayor Dodic last year was $68,000, not the $98,000 stated from the salary raise. As many disgruntled citizens have pointed out via other sources, the ethicality of voting oneself a raise is an obvious issue. Since it appears to be
common practice among politicians at various levels, and apparently allowable, many people may not see a problem with it. What I see a problem with is not the raise itself, but the lack of concrete evidence pointing to the need for a raise, or that a raise is deserved by the individual inhabiting the position at the time. While councillors may argue that their raise only brought them up to the provincial average for similar-sized cities, it still looks like a money-grab no matter what way you slice it. Is it responsible of the councillors to vote themselves a raise, effective January 2013, without an independent audit? Further, is it responsible of the council to vote for a raise at all? I would love the opportunity to go to my employers and tell them that I deserve more money based on the provincial average — but I’ll get laughed out of the office, if not fired immediately, if I do. Essentially, it comes down to a question of ethics. Is it ethical for a person to vote themselves a financial gain? The answer pretty much invariably, whether the person is deserving or not, is no. Should the council have voted for the raise to take effect after the October 2013 election? It would probably have been more responsible, yes. I leave that for the citizens of Lethbridge to decide.
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 20
Photo by Bob Cooney, University of Lethbridge
Travis Robinson Sports Editor
I sat down with first year swim coach Peter Schori to discuss the often unnoticed swimming program at the U of L and the sport at the CIS level, along with season’s expectations and the exciting athletes competing for the Horns team. Travis Robinson: What can you tell me about the program? Peter Schori: I would answer that this way: In the past the program has been good, but hasn’t been able to get over the hump to be excellent or creating and sustaining excellence. I would say that’s sort of where our transition is right now. We’re in a situation in Canada West where we compete against three schools that have national training centres, those being Victoria, Vancouver and Calgary. That puts us in a position where we either look at it that we’re going to concede to the schools because we don’t have national team athletes here or we’re going to try and say what we can do to shrink the gap between where we are and where those schools are. That’s where swimming is right now at the U of L. It’s trying to change that mindset that we can be competitive with the top schools. I think we’re taking steps in that direction. TR: What are your expectations for the season this year? PS: We’re in two spots. Our men’s team and our women’s team are in different spots in that whole process. For the men’s team, optimistically, realistically I think we can come top 10 at CIS. It’s something that hasn’t been done… There isn’t great record-keeping in the CIS. We certainly know we’ve never been top 10 since at least 1995. Over the last few years, we’ve been sort of between 13th and 17th. I think the men can do that. For the women, the goal is to be in the top one half of the CIS. There are 28
schools that have [swim] teams, and the goal is to be in the top half of that. That would be progress from where we’ve been before. But yeah, a little different spots for the two squads right now. TR: Who are some swimmers on the team right now succeeding at a high level? PS: Obviously Jeff Nicol. He has the pedigree and the past. He was top eight at Olympic trials last year and a finalist at CIS last year. He’s in his fifth and final year right now. Ryan Thornley, who’s in his fourth year, is a pretty interesting kid. He came out of high school as a good swimmer but not 100 per cent committed to it, and it took him a couple years here to really decide that it was a priority in his life. He made finals at CIS last year… and even though he’s 22 years old, it took him a while to see he could be competitive. I got to know him a little bit over the summer in anticipation of coming [to coach] here. I’ve coached a couple swimmers to the international level… I look at him and say “You’re as good as these people that are swimming at this level, you just have some work to do.” When kids and young people see they have the potential to get to that level and see that somebody has some history in taking people there, it’s encouraging. [Ryan’s] doing really great. We’ve got five guys already qualified for CIS; the other ones are a couple of our breaststrokers in David Errington and Adam Krysiak. Also qualified is Nick van der Sloot for CIS. The guy who’s really on the move right now is Tiha Konyves. He’s a local kid. He grew up with LASC and swam with LASC. I’ve watched him for years because I was two hours down and though [Tiha] has a lot of potential. Sometimes you present things in a different way… [and Tiha] is responding very well. The other person who is very significant is Zack McAllister. He
was on the Paralympic team this past year. We’re the only team in Canada West that has a paraathlete on our team. Within the Canada West program, for [Zack] to make Canada West he has to make the able-bodied standard. For him to do that, in his classification for para, he would be winning the Olympic gold medal by five seconds if he were able to make the para standard. It’s kind of unfortunate that somebody who’s competing at the highest level, that there is not a condition within the Canada West or CIS framework to get him qualified. Those are our top guys. On our girls’ side, our top girl is a freshman named Kara Declark. She’s a butterflyer from B.C., and we expect her to make CIS this year and maybe score at the meet. We have a little bit of building to do on the girls’ side. TR: Is university athletics the proper place to be for a high-calibre swimmer? Is the competition level adequate enough? PS: I think it certainly is. This is something that has, within the CIS, there’s been a culture for some time where the top kids have gone to the states. There’s this big lure of going to the states that largely is around scholarships. For the national team athletes, those Olympic-calibre athletes, if they’re carded by Sport Canada, they get their education paid for in Canada anyway. So what’s happened is… the quality of athlete being recruited and retained within Canada has really changed. Our Olympic team from last year, over half of them were competing in or had competed in the CIS. It’s tough to manage school and high performance in any sport… They can be mutually compatible, but there has to be some flexibility there.
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 21
Travis Robinson Sports Editor
Even when a Pro Bowl wide receiver was earning NFL paychecks, his earnings always seemed to go up in smoke. In 1994, Andre Rison, then playing for the Atlanta Falcons, saw his suburban mansion burn to the ground. His then girlfriend Lisa Lopes, of hip hop group TLC fame, was charged with torching the million dollar property. Rison himself shrugged off the loss by signing a then-record $17 million dollar free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns the following season. Despite this incredible contract, the mercurial Rison could not match his salary to his production. He was nearly run out of Cleveland due to abysmal play just a season after signing his gargantuan contract, and had fizzled out of the NFL by the year 2000. Having earned some $20 million over his 10-year NFL career, one would think “Bad Moon” Rison would have made enough money to enjoy retirement comfortably. This, however, is simply not the case. Rison has been indicted in federal court for failure to pay child support. He has owed as much as $10,000 in payments, and has simply been unable to meet these financial obligations. Whether it was squandering his money on material goods or making bad choices in his financial and personal life, Rison is just one of many in a collection of destitute ex-athletes. Television sports giant ESPN has released another excellent film in its 30 for 30 series, this one simply titled Broke. As the title suggests, Broke profiles several ex-athletes and their current financial pitfalls. Included in the film are former NFL stars
like Andre Rison and Bernie Kosar, along with several journeyman athletes and other sports stars. Kosar’s story is one of particular sadness. This former fan favourite of the Cleveland Browns played quarterback with laser accuracy, and had endorsement deals to match his pinpoint passing. Kosar retired comfortably in 1996, and used his NFL earnings to start several businesses in the Cleveland area. He also took work as a television commentator, and seemed to be an exception to the broke athlete phenomenon. Unfortunately, the popular Kosar could not succeed in the business sector. He filed for personal bankruptcy in June 2009, citing debt upwards of $20 million as his main reason for filing. The Cleveland Browns organization awarded Kosar a position on their television network to remedy his swelling debt. Despite this, the handsome and charismatic Kosar became just another figure of financial turmoil post retirement. The story with the most tribulation belongs to the ever explosive Mike Tyson. Kid Dynamite earned exorbitant payouts from his legendary bouts in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. Despite earning some $400 million through his fighting career, Tyson has also had to declare bankruptcy. His bankruptcy stems from a passion for exotic pets, expensive cars, and monolithic homes. During his boxing heyday, Tyson was spending nearly $400,000 a month on various items. His legal fees piled up due to his rape conviction in 1993, but Tyson still managed to retain his lavish lifestyle post prison through a
series of highly watched fights with Evander Holyfield. After his body could no longer take the beatings of heavyweight bouts, Tyson attempted to live his flashy life without a steady income. Child support payments towards several women began to build up, and Tyson eventually cracked, blowing nearly half a billion dollars in earnings. The tale of Mike Tyson is certainly unique, but the fundamentals of his losses are not a new story. Broke cites several key reasons as to why ex-athletes go broke. The most ubiquitous of these reasons seems to be the gift of giving. Athletes emerging from the toughest neighborhoods are oftentimes far too willing to give back to their communities, and as such, lose track of their kindness. Along with this giving come opportunists in the form of parasitic relatives, who are eager to spend their famous kin’s signing bonus. Child support payments are another common thread, with many athletes losing sight of how much multiple children with multiple women cost. Finally, failed investments ravage the check books of professional athletes. Far too many athletes sink their cash into money pits, only to see these businesses fail. They are far too eager to listen to relatives instead of professional financial advisors, and as such, are dragged into investments with zero return. Broke is an excellent firsthand account of the tribulations faced by so called “rich” athletes, and is a worthwhile viewing for anyone fascinated with the finances of sports.
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 22
With a foot of snow caking everyone’s barbeques, now is the perfect time to master the art of indoor grilling. One doesn’t need a flattop grill to cook a steak normally reserved for milder weather; a pan and the right technique can do wonders for the mouth-watering delicacy. Here are some useful steps for frying the perfect steak. Travis Robinson Lifestyle Editorial
Steak. The cut is of your choice, but I prefer to use flank steak. Flank steak is a delicious cut, and is often seen in Asian and Latin dishes. It packs a lot of flavour without being too overwhelming or chewy, and thus makes a wonderful substitution for your grandfather’s tough t-bone. The flank steak is perfect for the pan, as its thinness makes it cook quickly, without the danger of burning the outside of the cut while leaving the inside rare. Flank steak is extremely manageable, and perfect for beginners. Cast iron pan Neutral cooking oil Butter Mushrooms (optional) Seasoning to taste
1. 2. 3.
4.
Preheat the pan. It is essential to have a hot pan for a quick cooking. Your steak should be at room temperature, making it tenderer. Add your cooking oil to the pan, coating the bottom. Place steak into pan. Cook for two to three minutes on each side. Do not overturn the steak, instead cooking it once on each side. Too much fondling of the steak causes it to lose its juices and wonderful elasticity. I see many a steak overcooked by zealous turning, and while a well-done charcoal is endearing at the annual hockey party, it is not fun at home. Check rareness through the feedback method, where the inside of the thumb corresponds with the steak’s doneness. Most would agree with a medium rare steak being the tastiest, but a medium flank steak is just as well.
5.
6.
Baste the steak with butter at your leisure. For extra tastiness, sauté some mushrooms in your other pan. Fresh button mushrooms work well, but if you can secure some portabella mushrooms, it will make for all the more refined. Season to taste. Serve steak whole. I cannot understand why anyone would butcher a steak by slicing it before serving. This may be the practice of neurotic beginner chefs worried about the doneness of their steaks, but the steak loses its juices and gets mangled from the knife through slicing. Unless you are making fajitas, the steak should be served unsliced and basking in its juices.
Those are the steps needed in preparing a pan-steak. It may be messier than traditional barbequing, but is very rewarding and actually rather fun. Steak may be considered a delicacy, but it need not be reserved for restaurants or those hockey barbecues exclusively.
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 23
Travis Robinson Lifestyle Editor
If nuclear war ever breaks out, the only remaining footwear may be a pair of Doc Martens boots. These durable shoes have been around since the 1940s, when German physician Klaus Martens first developed a comfortable answer to army boots. The air-cushioned rubber soles and soft leather uppers were a hit in Germany, but it wasn’t until Martens took his boots across the English Channel that the Doc Martens took off. In the 1960s, the R. Griggs Group of England bought the patent rights to the shoe, and began to market and distribute Doc Martens to shops and boutiques across the UK. The comfortable but sturdy design captured the attention of dockhands, and they began to wear them as protective footwear in the wet, miserable, and outright dangerous conditions of the docks. Police brigades were delighted with eyelet lacing of the boots, and began to substitute Doc Martens for traditional law enforcement footwear. Any job that required walking was made more comfortable by the trade-
mark soles of the Doc Martens boots, and the footwear with the yellow stitching became commonplace in the streets of England. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Doc Martens became a fashion statement for a variety of youth movements. The Oi! Punks pounced upon the boots, reveling in the labourer’s pedigree of the shoes. Legend has it that Oi punks would douse their Doc Martens in petrol and set them ablaze for a few second to break the leather in. Coupling their Doc Martens with trench coats and a ferocious attitude, Oi! Punk bands like the 4-Skins began to feature their Doc Martens on the cover of their albums. The stuffy Mods took notice, and they too began outfitting themselves in Doc Martens, which were comfortable on long scooter rides. In the 1980s, the Doc Marten boots saw a revival in the alternative rock movement of the time, with bands like Joy Division and The Smiths wearing the boots. Doc Martens were engrained in these musical and cultural movements, and served as an excellent
balance of fashion and practicality. Today, Doc Martens are seeing a revival in both haughty vintage shops as well as a new generation of labourers. A beaten pair of Doc Martens looks as good today as in 1970, and many vintage retailers demand top dollar for a pair of classic boots. The company itself has diversified, bringing new colours to the original black boot along with a wide range of other types of shoes, still featuring yellow stitching and the rubber sole. Vendors cannot seem to stock this iconic footwear long enough to keep their supply, despite costing nearly $200 new. One cannot put a price tag on quality, and for a shoe that will last you a lifetime and beyond, look no further than a pair of Doc Martens. Searching can pay big dividends, as I have heard of many people finding a pair of Doc Martens in a thrift store. The boots do run small, so for a comfortable fit, sizing up may be necessary. To be stylish and iconic, however, is non-negotiable, and Doc Martens fit their billing.
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 24
** Submit your TLFs at www.themeliorist.ca. All TLFs must be submitted via a valid uleth e-mail account. Keep in mind that libelous or offensive TLFs may be edited or omitted. The TLFs do not reflect the view or opinions of The Meliorist Publishing Society. The Art Society is calling for volunteers/painters and donations for the “Movember Live Art& Silent Auction”All proceeds go to Prostate Cancer. Submit by Nov 25.artsociety@uleth.ca The Art Society invites all of Lethbridge to the “Movember Live Art& Silent Auction” Nov 28 @ Essies, 7p-2am.Live bands,wine & cheese,live painters.All proceeds to Prostate Cancer To the guy with the tattoos working out in the pool on tues morning, you’re why there is the observation deck, sincerely happily observing girl To the girl that I constantly find myself making eye-contact with in ARKY 1000, coincidence? To they person wanting to start a League of Legends team, add me: killer27500. Sincerely, person waiting for someone to do this since September! If you are not a Kines major then I advise you NOT to take KINES 2600 as part of your options. This is coming from a student with above 3.6 GPA. Believe me,It’s a nightmare. To my roommate, lesson one, if she bakes you muffins, she wants your penis! To the girl in the silver Sunfire you are welcome for the push out of the snow, sincerely the cute guy
TLF- Just like twitter, only you have to wait a week. But, seriously #uleth
paynus in ur anus!” - Goat
To the guy at the pool watching the swimclub on Nov6th@7:45,how you spend your time makes our day. Please come back. See you again, same time? -girls that couldn’t stop smilin (:
Why was the boy sad? Because he had a frog stapled to his face.
LOL is much friendlier community and you can see what’s going on. P.S Im sorry i did not leave my summoner name just wanted to know if anyone was out there. Joined the group fyi. Dear red headed girl with glasses at karaoke on the 6th: I saw you plugging your ears when those girls were singing Hey Earl. Show some respect, it’s not a talent competition. Dear male storm trooper. You complete me. -Female storm trooper. To the girl working out at 7 am on Wednesday the seventh who asked if I was using the machine beside where I was doing knees to elbows, you are very attractive… Dinner? :) Hey, to anyone interested in crossfit and having a gym partner let me know! fergusont@uleth.ca Love is like a fart. Try to force it and it will become shit. Since we do lyrics in the meliorist now..“I hope that i don’t sound to heinous when I say this, Nicki Minaj, but i wanna stick my
Wish there was an app to book a taxi?We created one and want to show the taxi companies that people support it and would use it.Like our page-www.facebook.com/wenee dataxicabapp.thx
helped those who are currently struggling with their sexual orientation :) Hey cutie with the short hair and stretched ears in LING2300, You seem cool, call me maybe ;) -QuietlyAdmiringFromAfar Cheers to the parking enforcement guy who was working on the machine in E and gave me a free 2 hour pass. You’re awesome!!
You can tell it’s an aspen, by the way it is! That’s pretty neat!
To myself, You are hot.
To whomever found and returned my keys to security on Monday afternoon, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Much appreciated.
DOTA 2? Bah!
The blonde wearing the Washington shirt working her legs Wednesday morning is a dime Dear dark haired girl working at Library, you make focussing on studying very difficult but I’m glad I get to see an exotic looking beauty in Lethy. Distracted guy RA Kurtis, Why you gotta be so hot? ;) Who is the hot River Science boy? I am curious now.. Cute brown haired male cook at CJs Do you have a girlfriend? To the author who posted the “Coming Out Guide” article in the last Meliorist- thank you!! It has really
So how about this 30hr IMPROV-A-THON happening Nov. 16th-18th?! Who is this Drama Nutz and how did they find so many sexy ladies? Girls + Improv = love! I’m going! dramanutz.com Dear guy getting a back massage from the hot chick in the break out rooms… You are one lucky bastard. Meeting up sounds like a great idea. It would be fun to meet other KPOP fans on campus. — Big Bang VIP To the girl in the silver sunfire I helped push out of N 2 weeks ago, coffee some time? “ ” - Charlie Chaplin
the
meliorist
November 15, 2012 • 25
You’re so vain, you probably think this tlf is about you Why do I feel like in walking in a concentration camp when I’m on the 9th floor of the library? Oh yeah, the cubicals are fashioned into the shape of the swastika symbol! Dear Steve… You have a beautiful face. I hope to see more of it. To d bag who stole my windshield wipers from lot E, Revenge is a dish best served with a baseball bat body job and removed axel nuts. See you soon ;)
guy wishing there was an EDM club: check out ‘U of L Electronic Music Club’ on Facebook and tune into UnderSound Radio on CKXU Fri @ 11pm Rev
i wonder if there is any interest in having a post secret event at the school…
Dear black-haired cutie @ coffee company; We should chat from the same side of the counter =] Sincerely; There’s only so much to say about chai flavored things
To mi nena divina, two amazing months! you are the snow to my penguin. xoxox
Dear boys-that-helped-get-my-dad’s-car -unstuck,You are fabulous, and if I see you @ school, I promise to give you tons of doughnuts/loving hugs. Love, - Polish girl <3 :)
blonde girl with the tree tattoo in the gym, are you single?
What happened last week? TLFs had so many typos it got really hard to read. @@ Don’t lose your marbles! Take it easy while you ragequit over some guy with short shorts.
three hours… Dear dark haired girl who works at the library, you make it very difficult to focus. I have never seen such a beautiful smile and not to be creepy, perfect curves. Distracted guy Dear dark haired library girl, I hope I’m not comeing off as creepy but I can’t get you out of my mind: light eyes, caramel skin, crazy curves and your smile. Distracted guy.
Cheers to the guys who work weekends at Tim Horton’s. Keep up the good looks!
Dear dark haired library girl, I actually go to the library JUST for the chance to see you. I promise if you give me the chance I will do anything to make you happy.Distracted guy
Les be honest WGST 1000 night prof is so freaking hot.
Wow Distracted guy quite spanking it all over the TLFs...
If life gives you melons, you might be dyslexic…
Anyone watch The L Word? It’s my fave show. L Word marathon? Sincerely, L Word Enthusiast
Need a study break? Saturday Nov 17 is Culture Vulture Saturday. Drop by the atrium between 10am-5pm and design your own buttons. Buttons are $1 each or 5 for $3.
Kendravieve, Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.
Dear guy with the red Montreal toque and beard at open mic night in The Zoo, you are extremely attractive. Sincerely, girl from the table beside you.
“Hey Ernie” “Oh hi Bert” “...” “So Bert I heard Elmo touched a kid?” “Where did you hear that Bert?” “Its all over the fucking news!” “Wow that’s fucked up...”
To the bitter bugs chirping number requesters, people read TLF almost exclusively to see students wheeling each other. It’s good shit, keep up the love kids.
Go Human Beings!
Dear guy who works at CJ’s and is in World Religion, you are hot. ;)
Dear all students living in U-HALL res. You guys have been very clean and make my job enjoyable. Please continue your awesomeness and good luck in school :)! Much love. Chris (the blonde haired garbage/maintenance guy)
In reply to “trance lover” and the
Cute short haired girl on bus 32, I may just have to take your advice, Talk to you soon! :) Guy with Glasses
Anyone have a Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology (6th. Ed. Brian Kolb & Ian Whishaw) textbook that they are looking to sell? Email ulethtextbooks@gmail.com
The Markin Hall case rooms are not meant for giggly girls to discuss their long weekend fun. We can all hear you, every word, from the past
No Meliorist Podcast this week? Now what am I going to do when tv sucks and porn gets boring? Make friends? Easy for you to say! #imatroll
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Year in Review, and Thanks to All of You!
Who’s who at the Zoo?! Shuna Talbot VP Internal
The University of Lethbridge Students’ Union provides a lot of services for students; we put a lot of focus on these services because we want our students to utilize them. One service we don’t always focus on and should promote more is our campus pub and restaurant, the Zoo. The Zoo is located on the third level of the Students’ Union Building (right above the food court). It has a variety of menu options and student friendly prices. It has a very relaxed setting and is a great place for you to go hang out with friends or even study. The Zoo has some great events including the following: Karaoke Night Karaoke Night happens every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to midnight It is the place to be on Tuesday nights and you are bound to have
a good time. There is always a great combination of very talented singers and those singers that are there to have a great time. If you’re lucky you’ll catch me singing one of my favourite Karaoke songs “Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith. Open Mic Night Open Mic occurs monthly, typically on a Thursday. I am always amazed by the amount of great talent we have in the Lethbridge community. There is always a variety of talent from comedians, guitar players, singers, to people announcing fun facts. Even if you have never performed, this is a great place to start. Heck, if you don’t have a talent it is a great place to witness the Lethbridge talent and is always fun. The next Open Mic Night is on Dec. 6 at 5:30p.m. Dirty Bingo
touch on and probably one of my favourites, is Dirty Bingo. It brings a whole new level to the game of -bingo. Even if you are losing, you are laughing at all the great dirty prizes that are given out. When the evening begins the toys start out a little innocent, but by the end you could be taking home The Hot Seat. If you want to know what that is you will have to check out Dirty Bingo on Friday, Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m. The Zoo really is a great place to be and whether you are new on campus or you’re going into your eighth year, you need to check out the Zoo at least once (and by that we mean once per week). You will feel at home and if you don’t know what is good to eat, I highly recommend the steak sandwich, unless you’re a vegetarian, then you should have the Zoo Veggie Sandwich.
Year in Review, and Thanks to All of You!
Employment Opportunity The Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union is now accepting applications for the 2012-2013 academic year. This position is a paid position to commence immediately. The CRO is responsible for all ULSU general elections, by-elections and referenda during the academic year. For more information on the position visit www.ulsu.ca. To apply for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to Cheri Pokarney, ULSU General Manager at su.manager@uleth.ca or drop it off in
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November 15, 2012 • 30
Jobs, jobs, jobs! Let us introduce you to CES (Career & Employment Services). CES is a student service office dedicated to assisting you with your career and job search needs. We’re within the Career Co-op Services office in AH154, along with Applied Studies and the Management and Arts & Science Cooperative Education programs. CCS office hours are 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. Go to our website for more detailed information on our services: www.uleth.ca/ross/ces.
Career planning 101 • workshops: what can you do with your major? * Friday, Nov. 16, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. • * Thursday, Nov. 22, 1:40 p.m. – 3:40 p.m. * Monday, Nov. 26, 10 a.m. – • 11:30 a.m. Job search & networking workshops: * Thursday, Nov. 15, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. * Wednesday, Nov. 21, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Career portfolios for interviews workshops: * Monday, Nov. 19, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Visit our website www.uleth.ca/ross/ces to find the CES online job board!
Upcoming information sessions: Operation Wallacea ~ Thursday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m. – Full time • Management Trainee ~ 1:00 p.m. Guillevin Internation Co Details at (Dec. 31) www.uleth.ca/ross/ces/events • Agribusiness Assistant, Various Locations ~ Workshops to Nov. 30 Richardson (see full schedule and International (Nov. 30) sign up online at • Addiction/Mental www.uleth.ca/ross/ces/ Health Students & New workshops) Grads ~ Alberta Health Services (Jan. 2) CES resume/cover letter • Account Executive, Edm workshops: ~ Patron West Equip * Tuesday, Nov. 20, 11 a.m. – Finance (Nov. 30) 1:30 p.m. • Field Biologist, Cochrane * Friday, Nov. 23, 11 a.m. – ~ Complete Crossings 1:30 p.m. Inc (Nov. 15) * Wednesday, Nov. 28, 3 • Account p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Representative;Field Manager, Edm ~ Otis CES interview Canada Inc. (Nov. 15) workshops: • Executive Team Leader, * Thursday, Nov. 29, 1:40 Edm ~ Target (Nov. 17) p.m. – 4 p.m. • Pre-Sell Customer Service Rep, Edm/Cgy ~ CES how to network with PepsiCo. (Nov. 18) employers workshops: • Corporate Sales * Friday, Nov. 16, 10 a.m. – Representative, Edm ~ 11 a.m. UPS (Nov. 21) * Tuesday, Nov. 20, 9:30 • Sales & Marketing a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Representative, Leth ~ * Thursday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m. Westwind Gymnastics – 12 p.m. Club (Nov. 21) * Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1 p.m. • Marketing Consultant, – 2 p.m. Leth ~ Lethbridge Experts & Vintage Media (Nov. 28)
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Labour Relations Manager, Sooke BC ~ Sooke School District #62 (Nov. 16) Territory Manager, Various Locations ~ Pets Plus Us (Nov. 16) Registered Nurse, Banff ~ Covenant Health (Nov. 30) Office Manager; Executive Assistant, Cgy ~ Alltech (Dec. 31) Systems Support Specialist IV (Network/Micorsoft Systems Analyst), Leth ~ U of L (Nov. 16) Business Analyst, Leth ~ Lethbridge College (Dec. 1) Franchise Manager ~ University First Class Painters (Dec. 31) Field Sales Representative, Edm ~ Saint-Gobain Abrasives Canada Inc. (Dec. 2) Community Disabilities Services Worker, Leth ~ Peak Vocational & Support Services (Dec. 2) Centralized Intake/Referral Coordinator, Leth ~ Canadian Mental Health (Dec. 19) Mobile/Outreach Worker, Leth ~ Canadian Mental Health (Nov. 19) Financial Accountant, Drumheller ~ Canalta (Jan. 1) Territory Sales Rep ~ Alltech (Dec. 31) Articling Student, Fort McMurray/Estevan/Wey burn ~ MNP (Dec. 5) Crisis Counsellor, Leth ~ YWCA (Nov. 19) Accounting Manager, Brooks ~ Orion LLP (Dec. 31) Accounting Technician, Brooks ~ Orion LLP (Dec. 15) Sun Life Financial Advisor ~ Sun Life Financial (Dec. 8) Child Care Provider, Leth ~ YWCA (Nov. 20) Reseller Sales Representative, Edm ~
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Daktronics Inc. (Dec. 9) Field Sales Representative, Cgy ~ Mondelez International (Dec. 12)
Temporary • Foodservice Sales Rep, Edm ~ Kraft Canada (Nov. 16) • Basketball Officials ~ SABOA (Nov. 29) • Aboriginal Engagement Facilitator, Cgy ~ Tera Environmental Consultants (Nov. 30) • Program Specialist II (Project Position), Cgy ~ U of L (Nov. 23) Summer postings • Seed Production Associates ~ Bayer CropScience (Nov. 16) • Relationship Manager Assistant, Various Locations ~ FCC (Nov. 16) • Agribusiness Student, Various Locations ~ Richardson International (Nov. 30) • Hybrid Canola Seed Production Assistant, Leth ~ DowAgroSciences (Nov. 16) • Research Assistant/ Tutor, Deep River/Chalk River ~ Deep River Science Academy (Jan. 30) • Summer Seed Growth Associate, Regina ~ Bayer CropScience Inc. (Nov. 16) • Production Technician, Leth ~ Hytech Production Ltd. (Dec. 15) Part time • Field Artillery Soldier/Officer ~ Canadian Forces (Nov. 30) • Online Teaching Job ~ Hiknow English (Dec. 31) • Care Giver, Leth ~ Care.com (Dec. 12) • Tutor, Leth ~ Tutor Doctor (Dec. 31) • Sales Position & Merchandising, Leth ~
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McGuires Men’s Wear (Nov. 18) Receptionist, Leth ~ McFadden Honda (Nov. 30) General Maintenance Workers, Leth ~ U of L (Nov. 19) Youth Support Counsellor, Leth ~ YWCA (Nov. 22)
International • Volunteer Positions, Various Locations ~ International Humanity Foundation (Nov. 20) • English Teacher ~ EF Changchun (Dec. 31) • Math/Science/English Teaching Position, England ~ Engage Education Canada (Dec. 31) • Internships in China ~ InternChina (Dec. 31) • Teach English in South Korea ~ Avalon English (Dec. 28) • Assistant Language Teachers and Coordinators of International Relations, Japan ~ JET Programme (Nov. 30) • English Teacher, Various Locations ~ EF Changchun (Jan. 22) • Teach English in Japan ~ International Education Services (Dec. 28) • Youth Ambassador, Ghana ~ Youth Challenge International (Dec. 7) • Au Pair; Children’s Camps, US ~ Scotia Personnel (Dec. 8) • Internship in Chinese Wine Company ~ InternChina (Dec. 12) For details of the postings and information on the application processes, go to www.uleth.ca/ross/ces/ job-board.
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